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165 thoughts on “Tunisian Attack

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  • OldMark

    The Israeli Navy intervened before the vessel entered territorial waters, thus avoiding a potentially more serious incident.

    Any more questions?

    Yes Habba- WHOSE territorial waters ?

    As you know, despite their ‘withdrawal’ from the Gaza Strip, Israel does not acknowledge that the Palestinians have any claim to the waters and sea bed adjacent to their coastline.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    It says it acted in international waters to prevent the “intended breach of the maritime blockade” imposed since 2007 against the Hamas-run territory.

    As Israel only has jurisdiction within its claimed territorial waters (most of which are actually Gaza’s), it was acting extrajudicially. Another demonstration that Israel considers itself above anyone else’s law, as it would have made little difference to the ease of arrest whether the vessel was inside or outside territorial waters. This pre-emptive shit is getting beyond a joke (and see US drone strikes, everywhere)

  • Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)

    I respond to a post of Mary’s but it is Porkfright who then responds to my response and when I respond to Porkfright’s response up pops OldMark with his own response.

    I believe it’s called tag-teaming. Or perhaps no single poster has the intellectual firepower to keep up with me.

  • Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)

    Anyway, I believe that there is another vessel on the way and hope that it will be dealt with on a similarly peaceful way, even though a peaceful outcome will no doubt displease both certain Israelis and certain Palestinians and their supporters further afield.

  • OldMark

    I believe it’s called tag-teaming. Or perhaps no single poster has the intellectual firepower to keep up with me.

    Stop preening yourself Habba and just address the issue of territorial jurisdiction over the waters adjacent to the Gaza Strip. If, as you’ve sometimes claimed, you wish to see the creation of a viable Palestinian state, do you think that its jurisdiction should extend to the waters adjacent to Palestinian territory, and to the sea bed, and to any hydrocarbon assets that may lie under the sea bed ? Or would you prefer it if these waters remain the exclusive preserve of Israel ?

  • Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)

    OldMark

    If there were a Palestinian state and Gaza were part of it, then obviously the normal rules pertaining to territorial waters would obtain and there would be Palestinian territorial waters off the coast of Gaza.

    But a P

  • Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)

    But a Palestinian state does not (yet) exist and therefore the question of territorial waters is moot.

    Given that, you should be glad that the vessel was diverted without violence on either side.

    You are glad, aren’t you?

  • OldMark

    Given that, you should be glad that the vessel was diverted without violence on either side.

    Habba- I’m certainly glad that this interdiction hasn’t resulted in several dead bodies (as was the case with the MV Mavi Marmara a few years back)- if that is what you mean.

    However I’m certainly not ‘glad’ about the continuing air, land and sea blockade of Gaza by the Israelis, which the seizure of the Marianne today highlights.

  • Suhayl Saadi

    “He appears to have been led astray and radicalised by a group of young Islamists, so the methods of such groups need to be examined so that they can be countered.” Abe Rene.

    Yes, of course, I agree. The trouble is, there seems no one type of ‘profile’.

    Here was a highly educated young man from a middle-class background who did not seem overtly oppressed or (at least to outward appearances) obviously cultish and who seems to have been a Real Madrid supporter, etc.. His country recently had undergone significant political change but things seems to be stabilising. He had his whole life ahaead of him. In other words, he was not dissimilar from millions of other young men around the Mediterranean and beyond. He lost his younger brother, bizarrely, in a lightning strike.

    But none of this explains why someone like that might be a candidate for radicalisation to the extent he would commit mass murder. We don’t know the whole story yet, of course. I do recall reading somewhere that actually it is easier to brainwash intelligent people, than stupid ones, easier to get them to join a cult.

    Let’s see what washes out of this terrible bloodbath. There were also the mass killings in Kuwait and the grisly murder in France on the same day. ISIS: This is the digital gaming, superchip generation.

  • Porkfright

    I responded to your response because it was as obvious as the fact that horseshit steams. International Waters are just that. Wars have been fought over the matter. Trying to divert yet again on matters of “Tag-Teaming” is as off-topic as it is untrue.

  • OldMark

    ‘His country recently had undergone significant political change but things seems to be stabilising.’

    Suhayl- I visited the country again (after a gap of 20 years)last November. One thing that Tunisians repeatedly mentioned to me was how worried they were about the destabilising effects of close on 2 million refugees from neighbouring Libya. As the situation in Libya remains dire, that is a problem that isn’t going to go away-

    http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/refugees-fleeing-libya-threaten-tunisian-national-security-253622982

  • Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)

    OldMark

    “Habba- I’m certainly glad that this interdiction hasn’t resulted in several dead bodies (as was the case with the MV Mavi Marmara a few years back)- if that is what you mean.”
    _____________________________

    Yes, that is what I meant and I’m glad you’re glad. I’m also glad – perhaps even gladder – that some of your buddies are obviously not so glad.

  • Mary

    ‘The House observed a 1 minute’s silence in respect for those killed in Sousse.’

    No 1 minute’s silence for the 2,000+ Palestinians killed in Gaza last July. But next Friday, Cameron orders a national 1 minute silence at noon. I think he is going OTT.

    ‘A C-17 transporter is leaving for Tunisia (loaded with medical supplies), to bring back the wounded in Sousse’.

    RAF Plane To Evacuate Casualties From Tunisia
    An RAF C-17 plane is being sent to Tunisia today, with the hope of evacuating all injured Brits within 24 hours.
    http://news.sky.com/story/1509965/raf-plane-to-evacuate-casualties-from-tunisia

    No RAF planes loaded with medical supplies were sent to evacuate the wounded Palestinians in Gaza last July. Nor did RFA Argus visit Gaza. It was sent to West Africa though to assist in the Ebola outbreak.

    Ebola aid ship Argus welcomed home to Falmouth
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-32205467

  • Suhayl saadi

    “No RAF planes loaded with medical supplies were sent to evacuate the wounded Palestinians in Gaza last July.” Mary

    Maybe, instead of bombing Yemen, the Saudi Air Force, with all that bristling new hi-tech equipment they’ve bought from the UK and USA, might have evacuated the wounded Palestinians and treated them in the hospitals of the Saudi princes? Or the UAE, or the Prince of Brunei, who has enough money to buy planet Earth several times over (I exaggerate a little). Why are we waiting for the RAF? It’s not 1948. The RAF is sending stuff to Tunisia because British citizens were killed and wounded. The truth is, the rich Arab potentate regimes do not give a toss about Palestinians and never have.

  • Mary

    Rhetoric Suhayl.

    As if Friends of Israel like Cameron and co would help or be allowed to help the Palestinians.

  • Suhayl saadi

    It’s not rhetoric, Mary it’s political fact. The Royal Arab regimes have never really given two hoots about the Palestinians. They’d rather the Palestinians just went away. For these regimes, the Palestinian cause serves simply as a rhetorical/PR device for when it’s useful. Of course we ought not to expect Cameron et al to give a toss. But we should expect the ‘brother Arab’ regimes to give a toss.

  • Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)

    Suhayl

    “It’s not rhetoric, Mary it’s political fact. The Royal Arab regimes have never really given two hoots about the Palestinians. They’d rather the Palestinians just went away. For these regimes, the Palestinian cause serves simply as a rhetorical/PR device for when it’s useful. Of course we ought not to expect Cameron et al to give a toss. But we should expect the ‘brother Arab’ regimes to give a toss.”
    ___________________

    You’re right, Suhayl……but hush! You will not be forgiven by various Eminences for pointing out something like that, it doesn’t fit the official narrative.

    Arab hating Arab, Arab perpetually quarreling with other Arab? Perish the thought!

    And when the evidence is too strong for even an Eminence to gainsay, out comes the old garbage of “it’s the Americans who are sowing dissension amoung the brothers”.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  • Alcyone

    Mary observes: “A sign of over excitability.”

    Q: If your ear feels scratchy Mary and you scratch it, which feels better, the ear or the finger?

  • Suhayl saadi

    “Tunisia’s interior minister Najem Gharsalli has said that the operation to eliminate terrorist Seifeddine Rezgui could have taken place more quickly if there had been better coordination between hotel staff and the security forces.
    Gharsalli said that the security staff at Sousse’s Imperial Marhaba Hotel did not call the police during the first minutes of the attack.
    The local owner of the hotel, Zohra Driss, who is also a member of Tunisia’s parliament, said that she had called the interior minister directly on his personal telephone to inform him of the situation. Gharsalli confirmed that he had received the call from Mrs Driss.

    But the hotel spokesman said today that his staff phoned police immediately.
    “Two harbour guards have said they got a call and arrived at the scene by boat, both armed. They said that they followed Rezgui up the narrow street that he walked up after his second visit to the beach and shot him from behind.
    A waiter from the Royal Kenz said he saw two other armed policemen advance northward up the beach but after the arrival of the launch with the two harbour guards.” [from article below]

    I wonder if these were the men seen arriving by boat?

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/tunisia/11701043/Tunisia-attack-shooting-gunman-tourists-victims-live.html

  • Mary

    Now, now Troll @ 7.19pm! Remember Craig’s new rules about which you were at pains to remind others here? You have broken the one about name calling.

  • Mary

    Here they go. It didn’t take long. Wot? No tanks at Heathrow?

    Scotland Yard creates SAS-style unit to counter threat of terrorist gun attack
    130 counter-terrorism specialist firearms officers equipped with new weapons and retrained in new tactics, including ‘fast-roping’ from helicopters

    Armed transport police officers on patrol at London Bridge station.photo.

    4 hrs ago
    http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/29/scotland-yard-creates-sas-style-unit-to-counter-threat-of-terrorist-gun-attack

  • Suhayl Saadi

    And beheading the owner of a truck business, then taking a selfie, then trying to blow up the factory? Zombies. This alleged killer was an older man, with a family. You see, there is no single ‘profile’. The pathology resides in the Far Right political philosophy. I can sort of understand how traumatised ‘killing fields’ in Iraq, etc. might lead people to a sport of Khymer Rouge equivalent. But these people – the Tunisian, this French man – are not living in a war zone. How can people fall for this crap? Rhetorical question, of course.

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/28/islamic-terror-france-beheading

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/28/french-terrorism-suspect-took-selfie-with-slain-victim

  • Mary

    What on earth is going on in the Met?

    UK Police To Test Tunisia-Style Attack Response
    Streets in central London are being closed so emergency workers can deal with a simulated gun rampage.
    Tuesday 30 June 2015

    Armed police photo
    Emergency services will deal with a simulated attack in Aldwych

    Armed police are to test their response to a Tunisia-style gun rampage on the streets of London, as the Government warns an attack on the UK is highly likely.

    Some streets around the Aldwych area of central London will be closed today to allow first responders to deal with a simulated attack on members of the public and emergency services.

    Operation Strong Tower will involve more than 1,000 officers in what the Metropolitan Police said would be a “multi-agency exercise to test the emergency services’ response to a marauding terrorist firearms attack in London”.

    [..]

    Deputy assistant commissioner Maxine de Brunner, who is coordinating the London exercise, said: “We are testing ourselves. This is meant to be a challenge for ourselves and other emergency services.

    “This exercise is not based on any intelligence. We are not responding to something we’ve heard. We have been planning this for many months.”

    /..
    http://news.sky.com/story/1510475/uk-police-to-test-tunisia-style-attack-response

    Where’s Peter Power? 7/7/05

    PS This file on De Brunner.
    http://www.sunray22b.net/maxine_de_brunner.htm

  • Alcyone

    Suhayl Saadi
    29 Jun, 2015 @ !9.01 & 19:17

    “No RAF planes loaded with medical supplies were sent to evacuate the wounded Palestinians in Gaza last July.” Mary

    Maybe, instead of bombing Yemen, the Saudi Air Force, with all that bristling new hi-tech equipment they’ve bought from the UK and USA, might have evacuated the wounded Palestinians and treated them in the hospitals of the Saudi princes? Or the UAE, or the Prince of Brunei, who has enough money to buy planet Earth several times over (I exaggerate a little). Why are we waiting for the RAF? It’s not 1948. The RAF is sending stuff to Tunisia because British citizens were killed and wounded. The truth is, the rich Arab potentate regimes do not give a toss about Palestinians and never have.”

    and

    “It’s not rhetoric, Mary it’s political fact. The Royal Arab regimes have never really given two hoots about the Palestinians. They’d rather the Palestinians just went away. For these regimes, the Palestinian cause serves simply as a rhetorical/PR device for when it’s useful. Of course we ought not to expect Cameron et al to give a toss. But we should expect the ‘brother Arab’ regimes to give a toss.”

    A man with laudable objectivity, after my own heart. Even now if the ‘Royal Arab regimes” were to give a toss, they might change the balance of power very rapidly. But why would they want to risk the domino effect?

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